Chapter Text
Chapter 68: I've Come to Make an Announcement
The Center of the Crashite – Brevon's Ship
"Are you sure about this, Ro…Ivo?" Brevon asked, skepticism etched deep into his shadowed face. His eyes flicked toward the large screen before them, where scattered signals pulsed and shimmered across the map of the archipelago.
They stood in the command room, where the Kingdom Stone hovered silently above them, suspended in midair. It pulsed with a low, celestial radiance, casting an ethereal glow that bathed the chamber in shifting hues of blue and white.
"Why, of course!" Robotnik boomed, pride swelling in his chest. "What's the point of hiding your existence when almost everyone already knows? If you want to get off this planet, at least do it in style!"
He spun on his heel and threw his arms wide. "Strike fear, uneasiness, panic into these fools as they witness their impending doom and the resurgence of power under my—err..." He caught Brevon's glare from the corner of his eye and quickly corrected himself, "our rule!"
Brevon's stare lingered, unreadable, but his mind was anything but still. His gaze wandered to the monitor, the sight of the prince and his brother locked in an embrace caused his fists to tighten. The brainwashing had broken. That fragile leash he had around the boy had snapped, and that alone was enough to make his teeth grind with fury.
He exhaled through his nose and turned back toward Robotnik, a dangerous gleam now sparkling in his eye. "Very well... This stunt may drain resources, but I have a few choice words I've long wanted to say to those insects crawling below."
"That's the spirit!" Robotnik replied, clapping his hands in delight as the live feed panned over the gathering below, Team Sonic and Team Lilac had reunited with Team Spade. "And would you look at that!"
A Shade Core hovered ominously into view, casting a shadow over the group beneath. The timing couldn't have been better.
"Shame they managed to free the prince," Robotnik mused, his grin undeterred. "But, oh well, things happen." He murmured as he leaned closer to the microphone. "If anything, it just makes him another pair of ears to hear me."
He reached for the final switch. "For an announcement to this pathetic archipelago and their insufferable inhabitants!" he declared. "First them... then, once the islands fall, I'll broadcast it to the entire world!"
With a dramatic flick of his wrist, he slammed the button, and then. Around them, the room began to tremble. The engines within Brevon's vessel rumbled awake like as lights across the room began to pulse red.
Brevon and Robotnik stood side by side, gazes fixed on the screen, as the world prepared to listen.
Shang Tu Island
In Shang Tu Island.
The Royal Magister stood in silent reflection by the grand arched windows of the audience chamber. Bathed in the dimming light of dusk, his robes shimmered as the last rays of the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon and the pale moon began to rise.
He often found solace in this hour of transition, the quiet shift between day and night. To him, it symbolized the natural order of change, of cycles ending and beginning anew. In those fading moments, as the city outside prepared for nightfall, his mind wandered.
How are they faring? he wondered. Sonic, Lilac, and the others… the defenders of Avalice. His gaze drifted skyward, beyond the horizon, as though he could somehow glimpse his saviors, those brave, standing between the world and annihilation. Are they still standing?
But the stillness didn't last.
A rush of boots and the sound of clashing armor broke through the quiet as two guards stumbled into the room, out of breath and wide-eyed with alarm.
"Magister, look out!" one of them shouted.
"Quack quack!" cried the other in panic, feathers ruffled.
Hovering into view, a small object glided silently toward the Magister and came to a stop just in front of him.
A Shade Core.
One of Brevon's machines.
The guards raised their weapons instinctively, but the Core did not attack. It remained still, eerily so, floating just below eye level.
"There are everywhere, Your Excellency!" the first guard exclaimed, sweat glistening on his brow. "They're not infusing themselves with any objects or attacking, they're just... here! Not only in the palace but in the city as a whole!" He paused, clearly perplexed. "And no matter how many we destroy, more keep appearing!"
The Royal Magister's brow furrowed deeply, he stepped forward cautiously, hands folded within his sleeves. His eyes locked on the Shade Core now suspended before him.
"Why?" he whispered, more to himself than to the others. "Why send them here, to Shang Tu, when the battle lies elsewhere?"
He didn't have to wait long to find out.
Without warning, the Shade Core's glossy black pupil turned crimson. It whirred, clicked, and then projected a flickering hologram into the space above it.
The Magister's eyes widened.
Doctor Ivo Robotnik's unmistakable figure emerged, tall, smug, arms folded behind his back, a gleaming grin stretching across his face. Beside him stood a shadow-cloaked figure, towering and ominous. Though only his glowing red eyes were visible beneath the hood, the Magister could deduce who it was, Lord Arktivus Brevon.
The air in the room chilled.
Robotnik took a step forward, his voice booming as the projection echoed through the chamber with crystal clarity.
"Greetings, people of Avalice!" Robotnik declared, his voice magnified by the Shade Core. "I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius... in the WORLD!"
"WORLD!"
"WORLD!"
"WORLD!"
The words echoed through the walls of the palace, not just here, but far beyond. The Magister stepped toward the window, eyes scanning the city.
Outside, the sky shimmered with hundreds of identical holographic displays, countless Shade Cores had taken to the skies above Shang Tu, each broadcasting the same message. Panic was beginning to rise from the city below, he could hear the murmurs, the cries of confusion. The announcement was unavoidable. The citizens of Shang Tu were being forced to listen.
Robotnik paused, savoring the weight of the moment before he continued.
"Some of you might remember me as the benevolent figure who assisted your dear Mayor of Shang Mu in securing the mythical Kingdom Stone! You're welcome, by the way."
A deep rumble rolled across the landscape that sent a chill crawling across the Magister's skin, his fingers tightened within his sleeves.
Shang Mu Island
In the heart of the bustling city of Shang Mu, the glow of dusk had given way to the unnatural light of crimson holograms. Shade Cores floated above rooftops, in driveways and even inside houses, each one casting the same message.
Citizens flooded into the streets, eyes wide, faces pale, gazing upward in disbelief as the grinning face of the man who had once posed as their friend dominated the skyline.
In the center of the plaza, near a the remains of the once Egg-Zao-Zao-Egg Hotel, a goat girl stood trembling, her fists clenched at her sides as she watched the projection.
"Welcome?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with rage. "Welcome?! Thanks to you, our city was nearly leveled!" Her voice rose into a scream as she stepped forward. "Our homes were destroyed, people were injured, some even lost their lives because of you! HOW DARE YOU?!"
From the growing crowd, another voice burst out. "My house got destroyed because of you! I lost everything!"
"My family's in the hospital!" cried a woman, tears streaming down her face, her voice breaking. "And I don't think they'll ever see the light of day again!"
"You tricked us!" another snarled. "We trusted you, we welcomed you! But you were never our friend, were you?! You monster!"
"You are the worst!" someone else screamed, and a chorus of agreement followed.
Voices rose in a furious chorus, shouting at the holograms with every ounce of pain, grief bounced across the plaza. Many threw objects at the image, their stones and debris passing through harmlessly.
Robotnik simply chuckled in response.
"Yes, yes... you're welcome," he said, voice rich with mockery. "But alas, even alliances born of convenience must come to an end. How tragic, isn't it?"
He raised his arms as he bellowed "But let's not waste time mourning what is no more. Instead, I have something far more exhilarating to share an announcement that will send shockwaves through these islands... no, through the entire world! So, open your ears and listen well!"
In a nearby balcony overlooking the street, an elderly bat woman watched silently. She sat beneath a hanging lantern, her sharp emerald eyes never leaving the projection. Her red scarf billowed slightly in the wind.
She took a slow breath and shook her head.
"That boy sure knows how to put on a spectacle," she muttered. "Loud, overconfident… always needing to be heard, like a spoiled, whiny child trying to prove something."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
"But..." she murmured, lowering her gaze to the cloaked figure beside Robotnik, "I don't believe he's the worst of them all."
The cloaked figure remained still in the darkness, eyes glowing faintly. The mere presence of this individual shifted the tone of the broadcast from mockery to menace.
Her bones trembled faintly with the dread rising in her chest as he stared at the figure. "Hoho... how troublesome," she said, her hand tightening on the hilt of her walking cane.
The hologram shifted once more.
The projection flared brighter, casting vivid colors across the skyline. Four of the Chaos Emeralds, the legendary Kingdom Stone, and the Master Emerald shimmered into view, hovering side by side. Their lights pulsed like heartbeats, radiating and otherworldly power that made the crowd fell silent.
From far in the distance, a low rumbled could be heard.
And there, shrouded in the darkening sky... something massive began to rise.
Shuigang Island
Deep within the snowy mountains…
Within a hidden bunker hidden beneath layers of ice and stone, the people of Shuigang, the townsfolk that evacuated, where all huddled close beneath flickering emergency lights. The air was cold, heavy with silence and held breath. All eyes were fixed on the hovering projection illuminating the room with an eerie glow.
"Whoa…" whispered Miri and Rudi, their tiny hands clinging tightly to the their mothers dress.
Despite the fear curling in their bellies, the mystical energy of the relics held them spellbound. The Chaos Emeralds spun in a dazzling array of colors, the Kingdom Stone shimmered with its divine resonance, and the Master Emerald radiated a calm yet overwhelming authority. To everyone, their power was unmistakable.
Robotnik's voice grew louder, more fevered.
"Feast your eyes on these magnificent relics, the Kingdom Stone, the Chaos Emeralds, and the Master Emerald! Do you see them? Good. Because with these artifacts in my grasp, I, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, will transcend mere genius. I will become the supreme ruler of this world!"
He raised his arms in triumph. "And you... you will all become loyal subjects of the Robotnik Empire!"
His laughter spilled through the room, weaving through the crowd. The relics behind him pulsed violently with light, glowing brighter and brighter as if feeding off the declaration.
A wave of unease swept through the bunker. Even though the walls around them were made of steel and stone, they felt flimsy against the weight of the threat bearing down from the sky.
Annie pulled her children close, shielding them from the cold and from the madness booming from above. But how could she shield them from this?
Shuigang Palace
In the garden, inside the Shuigang Palace, the mood was no different as Robotnik's speech blared from the Shade Cores in every corner.
Zao was reduced to a trembling wreck. He clung to Bark's arm like a frightened child. "Oh, Ivo, why, why are you doing this?!" he squeaked, his voice rising in pitch. "W-we're doomed…" he murmured, eyes glimmering with tears. "We're doomed, right? Tell me we're not doomed."
Bark didn't answer. The polar bear's jaw was tight, fists clenched at his sides. His breath steamed in the cold air, his glare fixed squarely on the projection of their former employer. Rage simmered behind his usually calm demeanor.
Bean stood beside them, unusually quiet. His eyes were locked on the hologram, his brow furrowed, a single bead of sweat trickling down his feathered cheek. "…I have to say," he whispered sideways to Bark, "for a speech, it's… pretty good."
Bark shot him a sideways glare.
The duck raised both hands in mock surrender. "Just saying."
But their banter was short-lived, cut off by a sudden shriek from Zao.
"Wh-what's that?!" he stammered, pointing a trembling hand toward the distant mountains beyond the reinforced windows.
Bean and Bark turned, narrowing their eyes. At first, they saw only snow, peaks, and wind. But then—
Something moved.
"And how else would I do it, if not through this little project I've nurtured since the day I first set foot on these lands?"
A shape. A massive one. It rose slowly from the heart of the snowy range, emerging from deep beneath the frozen crust.
Bean opened his beak, struggling for words.
"…You know," he muttered, "I think we should have expected something like that."
Parusa Island
Lastly…
In the tranquil coastal town of Parusa Island, dozens of citizens gathered along the shoreline, drawn not just by the crackling holograms projected from above, but by the red, broken plane they had just hauled from the sea, with seaweed and oil clung to its battered frame.
Near the wrecked red plane, watching with arms crossed and a sour expression, was a green wildcat dressed in a worn brown aviator suit. Her yellow, golden eyes glared up at the hologram like she was being made to watch a bad comedy.
"Seriously," she muttered, tail flicking behind her. "We take a simple job to trade supplies, out for a few days, and we come back to this? Can this guy not stop yapping?"
She let out a long, annoyed sigh and shook her head.
"All that talk, and for what? There is not even style to it, who are you even trying to intimidate, Egg Guy?" she said with amusement. "The three kingdoms are probably ready to kick his ass any moment now."
But even as she mocked him, the atmosphere around her began to shift.
The crowd, once restless and murmuring, began to fall silent. A creeping stillness settled over Adventure Square, one that had nothing to do with awe and everything to do with dread. The wildcat's ears twitched as she felt it too.
Sari and Lisa huddled together beside a bench near the market stalls, their faces pale, their eyes fixed on the sky.
Arnold, who had been standing awkwardly behind the wildcat, reached out and nervously poked her back. "I… don't think the kingdom's armies will be enough, Captain…" he whispered.
"Hm? Why would you…say…that…" She turned, one eyebrow raised, ready with another snarky reply. But the moment she followed Arnold's trembling gaze toward the distant northern skies, the words froze in her throat.
Her pupils sank. She didn't finish the sentence.
No one could.
Because there, rising over the horizon, beyond the snowy clouds and jagged mountain peaks, was something impossible.
A spherical object, vast and unnatural, ascending like a second moon into the sky. Even from here they could tell that it was massive, easily dwarfing the peaks it emerged from. Gray and metallic, its surface bristled with layers and layers of heavy armor. But what truly chilled the blood was its face, or rather, the grotesque caricature molded into its structure.
Twin concave eye sockets stared blankly outward, a sharp, pointed nose jutted downward from the center, and beneath it, a monstrous steel mustache curled outward, made of thousands of reinforced metallic strands alongside a heavy unibrow stretched over the top of it all like a visor of doom.
And welded into its surface was a sharp and wide grin, a sinister grin that mocked all who looked upon it.
"By the dragons" Lisa whispered, clutching her daughter as tightly as she could.
The hologram flickered back to life, now showing Robotnik himself once more. The smile on his face was eerily identical to the one carved into the monstrous station now rising into the sky behind him. His eyes glowed with manic glee as he raised his hands toward the heavens.
"Hahahaha! Behold!" Robotnik cried. "My latest and greatest creation, crafted in record time, a marvel of engineering! A fusion of genius and grandiosity!"
He spun theatrically, gesturing toward the monstrosity in the background.
"My Death Egg, rebuilt and reborn, fused with the remains of a once-grand warship once known as the Dreadnought, now reforged into something even more glorious!"
"I call it… the DREAD EGG!"
As if on cue, the monstrous space station fired a pulse of green light into the skies.
The people of Parusa could only stare, frozen in place, caught between awe, fear, and the horrifying realization that nothing on the islands, not even the combined strength of the three kingdoms, may be enough to stop that.
"Soon," Robotnik declared, his voice ringing triumphantly through every speaker and Shade Core scattered across the islands, "it will ascend beyond the stratosphere and into the cold, unforgiving depths of space!"
He stood with arms wide, the Dread Egg looming behind him.
"And I know what you're thinking…" he continued. "'Why, oh great Robotnik, would you leave us here on our own? We need you to guide us!'"
He placed a hand to his chest, feigning humility.
"Well, the answer is simple, my soon-to-be citizens…" He paused, eyes gleaming. "But I believe I'll let my partner clarify things for you. After all," he chuckled, stepping aside with a dramatic bow, "he's quite the knowledgeable one."
It was just then, when hologram's focus shifted.
Every screen on the archipelago turned to the motionless silhouette of the shadowed figure.
He stood tall and silent, as the flickering light from the holograms caught his features, he slowly reached up and pulled back his hood.
A ripple of gasps swept across the watching islands.
Whatever his face once was, he was no longer it.
His face was no longer the polished calculating visage it once was, it was now a grotesque mask of fury and pain. Scars twisted across his burned flesh. Metal sutures held torn flesh together along one side of his jaw. His right eye was replaced entirely by a red cybernetic eye, its lens glowing with a hateful gleam that mirrored the fury in his organic eye.
A collective shudder passed through every onlooker, as if the entire archipelago had recoiled at once.
The alien scanned the people of Avalice, cold and unblinking. And when he finally spoke...
"Inhabitants… of this pathetic planet," he began, his words laced with venom, his voice low, coarse and heavy with menace. "I am Lord Arktivus Brevon. And as your pitiful eyes can see, I am not from this world."
He took a step forward in the projection, his cape sweeping behind him.
"My origins lie in the distant stars," he continued. "On a planet that once teemed with life, brilliance, and beauty. My world… was alive."
His voice softened briefly, touched by something almost mournful, almost. For the briefest of moments, he sounded like a man who had lost everything.
"Was."
That one word shattered any illusion of sympathy.
"But now, that life is fading," he snarled. "Strangled by a relentless, ever-growing energy crisis. My people wither… our cities dim… our skies grow cold. All that remains is desperation."
His eyes swept across the projection as if daring anyone to pity him.
"But I am not a man who begs for salvation," he said, his voice hardening. "I am the one who dares to carve out a solution. And I have found one."
"I scoured the galaxy for power... and I found it. Endless energy, stolen from dying worlds, extracted from those too weak to defend themselves. After all, the weak... have no need for such essential resource." His voice rose, emboldened by rage. "But I needed more. More! More!"
The projection flared brighter, the images of the mystical gems spun in a blinding vortex of energy behind him.
"And then…" he grinned cruelly, "I found your world. And oh, how rich in energy it is. Your relics will save my world. And I will take them—with or without your consent."
His tone boiled with fury, every word etched into his scarred face, his twisted jaw tightening, the red gleam of his cybernetic eye flaring with murderous intent.
He paused.
Then, slowly, that burning eye scanned the image of Avalice as though peering into every city, every home, every soul.
"You will not stop me. You will not slow me. And you will not be spared."
His voice rose into a roar, echoing through every hologram.
"During my stay, you have dared to defy me, and thanks to that you will pay the price of such treachery."
His words struck, shaking the hearts of every listener.
"This is not conquest. This is survival. Yours... or mine. And I choose mine."
Off to the side of the projection, Robotnik began to grow visibly uncomfortable. "H-hey, Bre-Arktivus! Let's try to stay on message, yes? We're here to intimidate, not annihi—"
But Brevon ignored him. His fist slammed down with such force that static crackled across the projection.
"Do you understand?!" he roared. "Your resistance is meaningless. Your heroes fleeting sparks in the storm. Your kingdoms, castles of ash, waiting to crumble!"
He leaned closer into the projection, his face taking up the entire screen.
"Enjoy what little time you have left. Build your false hopes. Pray to your gods. To any deity for all I care."
"It. Will. Not. Matter."
His voice deepened into a bellow, filled with finality.
"Because I promise to return, and when I do... your world will die beneath the fury of my wrath! I will turn your cities to embers! Your oceans will boil! And your skies will darken forever beneath the shadow of my empire, I will tear your all apart, shatter your defenses, and when the last cries of your kind fade into the wind all of you will BURN!"
"
BURN!
"
"
BURN!
"
"
BURN!
"
His voice echoed across Avalice like a prophecy of annihilation, leaving only silence in its wake.
A dead silence fell over Avalice.
In Shang Tu, The Royal Magister staggered. He braced himself against the window frame, his eyes hardening.
In Shang Mu, the crowds were stunned into silence, disbelief and terror gripping the city. The young sheep girl who once shouted now stood motionless by sheer fear.
In Shuigang, Zao gripped his tobes, trembling, eyes wide. Beside him, even Bean had lost his usual aloofness and Bark stood motionless, the magnitude of what they had just heard left them breathless.
In Parusa, even the wildcat captain found herself wordless, her fists clenched as she stared at the monstrous silhouette of the Dread Egg. Arnold sat in stunned silence, and Sari cried quietly into her mother's arms.
Even Robotnik, once gleeful and smug, now looked unsettled. He stepped toward the projection again.
"WHAT?! YOU FOOL! That's not what you were supposed to say! Destroy?! No! I am to rule here! We were supposed to intimidate, not start a genocide!"
His voice rose in panic as the Shade Cores began to short out. Static flickered. Brevon's eyes narrowed, and suddenly…
"H-hey! Why are you—why are you cutting the feed?! Don't you—"
The projection cut to black.
Every hologram across the islands vanished.
Silence.
The entire archipelago seemed to hold its breath, the weight of the announcement sinking in.
Dreadnought's Crashsite
…
…
…
The heroes stood in a heavy silence, the wind brushing over the metal fortress. Before them yawned a massive crater, marking where the Dread Egg once was. Now up in the skies.
Beside them, the Shade Core hovered, its crimson eye flickering, its projection long since ended.
The drone twitched, preparing to retreat, its work completed.
But it never got the chance.
With a sharp shink, a green card whirled through the air like a blade and struck the Shade Core mid-flight. Sparks flew as the projectile sliced the drone clean in half. The ruined pieces tumbled to the floor with a dull clunk.
Dail, still braced against Spade's shoulder, casted a grim glance at its remains.
No one said a word.
Everyone remained still, eyes locked on the sky. The transmission had ended, but the weight of it hung around them. They had all heard every word.
Robotnik's delusions of grandeur. His twisted pride.
And Brevon.
The raw hate that had poured from the warlord. His lust for power. His threat to raze the world to nothing.
That wasn't the voice of a conqueror.
That was the voice of extinction.
And yet.
None of them were afraid.
Their expressions bore no fear. No despair. No retreat.
Instead, their eyes shimmered with something deeper. Stronger.
Resolve.
Sonic and Lilac stepped forward in unison, their shoes crunching against the scorched dirt in perfect synchrony. Without a word, they stared into the horizon, where the clouds parted just enough to reveal the cold, metallic shape of the Dread Egg drifting above the archipelago.
The others followed behind them.
Their silhouettes bathed in moonlight, looked small against the looming titan in the sky.
But not powerless.
They knew what had to be done.
Not just to liberate the archipelago,
But to free their world.